Center for Folk Traditions to open in Nashville

Traditional Arts Indiana will present its first ever  Center for Folk Traditions, opening this month in Nashville, Ind.

A partnership between the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology and the Indiana Arts Commission, Traditional Arts Indiana has worked together since 1998 in order to document, promote and present art and artists from all backgrounds in Indiana.

“There are other things going on here that aren’t native to Indiana but are happening here,” said graduate student Thomas Richardson, the center’s program coordinator. “We document what we consider to be traditional.”

Traditional Arts Indiana works with about 60 schools, libraries and historical societies across Indiana to spread its cultural presentations about music, dance, crafts and foods.
“We have what is called the rotating exhibit network,” he said. “They travel all throughout the state.”

But with the center’s opening, it is a chance for people to come to Traditional Arts Indiana.

“This is going to be the face of Traditional Arts Indiana,” Richardson said, adding that they do not plan to sell any of the “material culture” products such as textiles. “It’s not about selling stuff.”

The center will host weekend events throughout the year, such as demonstrations and classes that will be free and open to the public. The first will be at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 20, when Iuri Santos together with the North Star Capoeira Angola will perform traditional Brazilian music and martial arts.